Chairperson, we welcome our two hon Ministers to this House. How befitting it is to be in this House in this last sitting.
The Cross-boundary Municipalities Laws Repeal and Related Matters Amendment Bill provides for the administrative procedures and processes in the redemarcation of boundaries between the district municipalities of Dr Kenneth Kaunda in the North West province and the West Rand in the Gauteng province. This Bill goes with the Constitution Sixteenth Amendment Bill so that, when read together, these Bills have the effect of reincorporating the Merafong City Local Municipality into the Gauteng province. The principal Act, that is the Cross-boundary Municipalities Laws Repeal and Related Matters Amendment Act of 2005, and of course its twin, the Constitution Twelfth Amendment Act of 2005, are amended by these Bills.
If we reflect briefly on clauses 4 to 7 of the Bill under discussion, we will realise that it makes provision for the amendment of the statutory notices by the relevant MECs for local government in terms of section 12 and section 17 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, as well as for the schedules stipulating the changes in expressions of the affected districts and localities identified on the relevant maps. Clause 9 of the Bill makes provision for the voting district of the Merafong City Local Municipality to be part of the Gauteng segment on the voters' roll in order to comply with the stipulations of section 24 of the Electoral Act of 1998.
Also, looking at clause 10(2) of the Bill, clause 9 deems to have come into operation on the day the 2009 election was proclaimed in the Electoral Act. In essence, it says that when the President proclaims this year's elections, we will consider this Bill to have been in place by then. Unlike other pieces of legislation, which come into effect on a date proclaimed by the President, this Bill takes effect on the same date as the start of the Constitution Sixteenth Amendment Act of 2005, hence we say that these Bills should be read together.
During our deliberations on this Bill, National Treasury highlighted that the budget allocations for the Merafong City Local Municipality will continue to be disbursed by the North West provincial government until the end of the 2009-10 financial year. We were then also informed that the Department for Provincial and Local Government was establishing an interdepartmental transitional committee with clear timeframes and protocols to ensure the smooth and effective management of the changeover. We further discussed how we should be dealing with such boundary changes in future. This is a work in progress, but there are some suggestions which make some sense constitutionally, as put forward by the demarcation board.
In terms of section 103(2) of the Constitution we can make a once-off amendment to that section of the Constitution to make provisions for any change in the boundaries of municipalities to be dealt with in terms of the relevant legislation, without going for constitutional amendments. This is the issue that will be taken forward by the next Parliament, the Fourth Parliament.
In conclusion, our roles as respective legislatures is that of regular oversight on these processes, bearing in mind the previous hurdles observed in similar areas like Bushbuckridge. As to the reason for these Bills coming here, the hon Minister has elaborated on these matters. We have also rendered our apology and our repentance in this regard and anybody who continues to lambast us in this regard is trying to score a political goal via an offside position. We table this Bill for consideration by this august House. Thank you very much for your attention.